Most episodes of The X-Files fall into one of two camps: mythology or monster-of-the-week. It was the mythology episodes which drove the main conspiracy arc forward, with episodes dealing with colonization, alien/human hybrids, the abduction of Samantha Mulder, and so much more, but as the seasons continued, the mythology episodes became needlessly convoluted. Even so, the mythology of The X-Files is a big part of what makes the series so special, which is perhaps why series creator Chris Carter felt the need to keep it going by turning the conspiracy on its head during last year's six-episode event series. Fan reaction to the new developments, as well as the episodes themselves, wasn't overly positive, and it seems that due to these reactions, the mythology will be taking a back seat in the next season of The X-Files.
While speaking at the Television Critics Association press-tour, President of Fox Broadcasting, David Madden, told the audience that eight of the ten episodes in the next season will be stand-alone episodes, with only the first and last episodes dealing with the mythology.
We’re really proud of last season. We had the responsibility to explain to the audience what had happened in the intervening seven or eight years. We’re free from that responsibility this time and can just plunge in and tell the stories. We’re having a lot of fun doing it. Eight of the episodes will be stand-alone stories so they will be classic ‘Mulder and Scully plunging into new adventures.'
Madden added that some of the middle episodes may touch upon the mythology, but they would still remain stand-alone episodes. The previous six-episodes did face the daunting task of reintroducing audiences to the characters and concepts of the series, but with that now out of the way, I'm hopeful that the upcoming season will be able to get right down to business. Production on The X-Files is currently underway in Vancouver, and David Madden gave a small tease about what we can except when the series returns.
We start the season right up from where the season finale left off with that big helicopter and takes you right from there. You’ll be launched into a very urgent adventure that has a lot to do with William — Mulder and Scully’s kid. so the search for William will be a significant thread through the show. You will see the Cigarette Smoking Man [William B. Davis]. You may see The Lone Gunmen somewhere along the line. There will be other characters from the previous mythology that will be reprised.
Hopefully one of those other characters will be John Doggett, as Robert Patrick has recently expressed an interest in reprising the role. As for who else I'd like to see return, it's hard to say, as so many of those characters were killed off during the previous seasons, but as Chris Carter has always said, "No one ever stays dead in the X-Files."
What other mythology characters would you like to see return in the upcoming season of The X-Files?